PRESS RELEASE

(Press Release) – The Department of Public Lands (DPL) encourages the public to participate in the development of the CNMI Comprehensive Public Land Use Plan Update through soliciting feedback regarding needs and concerns for activities on public lands such as development, homestead, commercial leasing, and cultural, economic or environmental preservation to name a few.

The land use plan will serve as a guide for DPL in regards to the management, use, development, and disposition of public lands. Due to the economic growth in the CNMI, there is now more demand for commercial development on public land. Public land is arguably the most critical resource in the CNMI and is therefore of significant interest for CNMI residents to tell DPL how they want public lands to be utilized.

Upon completion and adoption of the land use plan, DPL will have a basis in decision and policy making in allocation and utilization of public lands.

In an effort to obtain maximum public participation, DPL along with its consultant SSFM, CNMI LLC and sub-consultants Chris Hart & Partners and John M. Knox, held public hearings last week in Rota, Tinian, and Saipan. The land use plan team also met with key stakeholders from both the private and public sector to include all mayors in the CNMI, both legislative bodies, and Governor Torres.

There will be a second round of public hearings tentatively set for March 2018. DPL, through its land use plan team, will reveal the land use plan draft before the hearings to allow for review before soliciting public comment.

DPL awarded the contract to update the land use plan to SSFM CNMI, LLC and executed the contract on August 11, 2017. The plan is estimated to take a year to complete and will serve as a roadmap for management, use, development, and disposition of public lands. The land use plan will cover all public lands in the CNMI and will have a 10-year horizon.